Daemon Blackfyre
Category:House Blackfyre Category:Valyrian Daemon Blackfyre is the Master of Laws at King's Landing, serving on King Orys I Baratheon's Small Council. Before this position, he served as Lord of Summerhall, now leaving this duty to his firstborn son Mace Blackfyre. Daemon was awarded the title of Champion of the Realm for his efforts in the Second War of Reclamation. He has four children; the twins, Mace and Maegelle, his daughter Maella, and his son Maekar, all from his wife Jeyne Fell, and has a famous friendship with Mace Tyrell. Appearance An adult man in his prime. Black, flowing hair below his shoulders that is usually untouched, and a full short beard of the same shade with purple eyes. He stands six feet and two inches tall, and is built like a soldier. History The Children of Rhaegar Blackfyre Rhaegar Blackfyre, the only son of Jaehaerys Blackfyre - the man responsible for the reconstruction of Summerhall in 320AC and the tournament and feast that would follow - knew he would never make his father’s mistake. Rhaegar was an only child, and though the halls of the new castle were truly a sight to behold, he knew the noble lords and ladies were simply overreacting. The true strength of House Blackfyre came from its ability to endure, and Rhaegar had read his history. When he was old enough to realise his father had been an imbaseal to only have a single child, Rhaegar knew he had to stay alive to correct his father’s mistake. He’d read the stories, and he knew the truth. The truth was it was a cruel, cold, and horrible world, and you had to be just as cruel, cold, and horrible to endure it and survive. The House Blackfyre of Summerhall would survive, and Rhaegar would be the one responsible. In 338AC, Rhaegar would begin the first step of his self-proclaimed destiny with the birth of his son Daemon Blackfyre, who he named for the founder of their great House all those years ago. Daemon’s sister Daella Blackfyre was quick to follow, though unlike healthy and happy little Daemon, Daella was sickly and somber. As Daemon and Daella acquired more siblings, like their brother Daeron and their sister Daena, Daella’s condition simply worsened. Daemon was too young to understand the solution was a simple one, though his parents were too stupid and proud, which was much, much worse. His mother, Taisha Selmy, now Blackfyre, wouldn’t let the Maester see her, or would lie and say her condition was getting better, all under the assumption that by the Light of the Seven, her daughter would be healed. Incense and smoke blessings often shrouded young Daella’s bed as she coughed and wheezed, unaided by the religious practices. Daemon’s father Rhaegar saw things differently, though he wanted no Maester or otherwise to heal his daughter. He wanted her to die by the blade or by any other means. As far as he was concerned, the candles lit in his daughters room should melt her away as she was only an ice dragon in black robes. Daella Blackfyre passed away on a silent morning, though the afternoon was filled with noise. It was centred in the Great Hall of Summerhall, and was focused on two men, one younger, and one older. The Maester of Summerhall shouted at Rhaegar, mocking his stupidity, and shouted at the Lord’s wife for her ridiculous and outdated beliefs. Daemon and his siblings were told to play in the garden, but they had hid themselves in a room not far from the Great Hall, and listened to the argument between the two men, and the insults thrown at their parents. The Maester was executed that evening, and Daella was buried not an hour later. It was a short ceremony. Daemon, Daeron, and Daena knew it was their parents’ fault, and it brought them all closer, despite having never been further from their sister. The Black Scale and the Rose Thorn After the death of Daella Blackfyre in 348AC, ambitious Daemon was yearning to prove himself in combat. He’d spent countless hours with his brother Daeron practicing his father’s ‘dutiful lessons’ to turn them into proper Lords, but these lessons were nothing short of torturous duels that went on for too long. Daemon didn’t admire his goofy little brother, but he certainly didn’t enjoy beating at him with a sword countless times while his father told him to strike harder. No, he wanted to prove himself a knight, a noble one like in those stories his mother used to read him when he was little, like Ser Duncan the Tall or the Dragonknight during the Targaryen Dynasty. Daemon would get such an opportunity, when his father arranged him to squire none other than the Prince, Robert Baratheon. Eager to prove himself, Daemon travelled for King’s Landing to meet his knight, but found when he arrived that an older boy named Mace Tyrell was already squiring under him. It was revealed the two boys would be working together, and though at first Daemon had seen this as a dull to his glimmer of ambition, Mace Tyrell would be as much of a brother to him in the following years as Daeron already was - perhaps even more. The boys spent countless hours together, polishing armour, attending tourneys, and getting up to all kinds of youthful trouble in their free time. They familiarize themselves with the layout of the Red Keep, having the privilege to walk it’s halls as squires of the Prince, though everywhere they went their skills would be mocked by the Prince to be King, Orys Baratheon. Daemon suffered particularly at Orys’ targeted insults, but Mace and the duties of a squire kept the young lad busy, and Orys’ taunts often waned in the background of his mind. When the boys were old enough, they decided to test their skills as warriors and entered in various tournaments as mystery knights, travelling once as far as White Harbour, and to many destinations across the border into the Kingdom of Winter. Though victories were few and far between their identities were never revealed, and Daemon got in an amazing amount of practice, with no one holding back on them in the melee’s and jousts. Mace was the jouster, but Daemon came alive in the melee. Steel was an extension of his hand, and his shield, a simple one painted with black scales outlined in grey, was a force as strong as any opponent he faced. It didn’t matter how big the target, Daemon knew that a good defence was just that, and he found himself outshining opponents twice his size and age on more than one occasion. In their prime the boys competed in the Tourney of the Flowing Wine in 356 AC, in which Mace went on to win the joust and proclaim the girl he would later marry as the Queen of Love and Beauty. This reminded Daemon of his wife, Jeyne Fell, now Blackfyre, pregnant with their child. He wanted to see her again. These skills would prove useful to Daemon during the Dornish Rebellion later that year. He would fight by his father’s side against the uprising Houses of Dorne, and would get his first taste of the true nature of combat. There was no cheering crowd, no squires standing by. There was death, and heat, and exhaustion, and blood. Daemon didn’t know if he would see his wife again, but her face was all that kept him alive despite the boy’s immense skill as a warrior. This rebellion would mean the death of Rhaegar Blackfyre, dying of a wound near the close of the fighting. Daemon’s father would never see the birth of his son, and despite his father’s personality he was saddened by this. He knew his father wanted to secure the line, and so when Blackfyre was passed on to Daemon at his father’s request, Daemon took the light blade with heavy burden. It was time to become the Lord of Summerhall. The Youth of Summerhall Mace Blackfyre and his twin sister Maegelle Blackfyre were both born shortly after the Dornish Rebellion, in 356AC. Daemon upheld a deal he’d made with Mace Tyrell years before, and named his firstborn son after his greatest friend and alley. Though Mace proved himself much different from his namesake, and wandered perhaps a bit too close to the personality of the House’s sigil. Since the moment he learned to walk and explore, he seemed to gravitate towards the sharp and the deadly weapons of Summerhall’s fortifications, and on multiple occasions, he would have to be chased, carefully, through the halls as he’d managed to steal Blackfyre right from under his father’s nose. He was quiet, and Daemon and Jeyne worried about him much more than they did his twin sister. Maegelle was not her twin brother. Mace wanted nothing to do with the children’s stories their mother told them before bed, but Maegelle was turning the pages herself, and tracing her finger along the words whilst trying to pronounce them. While Mace practiced with a flail, a weapon he’d decided to favourite, Maegelle practiced her reading and sewing and courtly abilities. She could play almost any instrument in Summerhall, but her mother’s lute was particularly challenging for her when she first got started. By the time the rest of her siblings, and Damion Storm, her nephew, were old enough to walk and talk, she could play songs be memory, and even harmonize with other instruments. Her twin was a thunderstorm, and she was a soft rainfall, burying herself in books and music to further her erudite qualities. In 357AC, Mace and Maegell would meet their little sister Maella Blackfyre, who as she grew older was a pleasant mix of the two. She could read and write before Mace had been able to when he was younger, but she loved running, and riding around on horses with her uncle and his bastard Damion, who lived at Summerhall with the Blackfyres. Mace, however, didn’t share such a friendly connection. He would often pick on her, insult her for wanting to try out archery, despite Maella possessing a natural gift for the sport. On multiple occasions, Mace had to be disciplined for the cruelty he showed towards his little sister, such as forcing her to beat a dead animal when she was very young, or threatening to strike her with a flail after she shot an arrow too close to the boy’s leg. Daemon, in these years, worried about his firstborn son. His second born, however, was not nearly as troubling. Maekar Blackfyre was born in 358AC, a year before Daeron had his bastard Damion. Maekar was like his sister and mother, and was much softer than his older brother, not much for combat and fighting. As a second son, this didn’t worry Daemon, and he encouraged his son to pursue his interest, remembering just how cruel his father would have been should his son wavered out of line, and wanting anything for his children but to replicate his father’s teachings. Maekar discovered the high mysteries at a young age, and would often read by candlelight in the empty rooms of Summerhall as he poured over legends and myths. When he was old enough, he took an obsidian candle on a red field for his personal sigil. Maekar got along well with Damion, perhaps not as well as Maella got along with him, but regardless, Daemon was sure his brother appreciated how welcoming the Blackfyre children were to Storm. Daemon is happy to show off his family at the Tournament of Harrenhal, where he once again competes with Mace Tyrell as mystery knights. Daemon and Daeron’s sister, Daena, would have loved to watch all these children grow up together, but something called her east, and she had been missing before she could really get to know Damion, the youngest one. Perhaps she’d said something to Maekar, Daemon often thought, about travelling to Asshai. Perhaps that’s why the boy was just so interested in magic. War Horns In 370AC, the Kingdom of the Iron Throne rattled against the cold breeze coming down from the North, and Daemon could almost feel the warmth hearth of his family he’d been nurturing with his wife - carefully, in most circumstances - dwindle and disappear as Lord Velaryon was dismissed from his post, and Daemon was given it in his stead. Still, despite the fact that raising his family was important, what was equally as important was the King and his attitude, and what it was doing to the Kingdom. A part on the Small Council would be invaluable. Mace Tyrell, who had been visiting Summerhall when Daemon received such a summoning, was enthralled with the idea and supported his friend immensely, though the two had no time to talk about it, as King Orys swiftly called his banners, and the fighting was to commence. Mace and Daemon were separated, which was to be expected, but Daemon’s Liege was acting rather unexpectedly by refusing his King’s call to arms. Outraged, Daemon openly spoke against Theodan in his own keep about the irresponsibility and the duties one had to the Kingdom, though silenced himself when he, on multiple occasions, wanted to interject that this would all be because Orys was their King, not because of the kind of King he was. After Daemon’s rejection, a man named Courtnay urged him to follow this fire that he was nurturing, and to meet with the King himself. He heard Mace Tyrell in the man’s voice, and rode to me the King and meet on even footing, despite the history between the two. They quickly schemed and talking war, the one thing Daemon could stand talking about with Orys Baratheon. Once a plan was finalized, Daemon moved north to incite it. He was to pinch the Stark forces in the Riverlands, cutting them off from the North by taking Moat Cailin. Daemon Blackfyre didn’t consider himself an excellent commander, but he knew how to fight, and he used this to his advantage as he charged White Harbour when his ships touched solid ground. Men were encouraged by his swordplay, but his impeccable shield defence, and how he even utilized the shield as a weapon on some circumstances like a blunt instrument. Men followed him because they believed he couldn’t be hurt, and they knew their commander would be with them, in the field, ready to die as they were. Daemon might not have been aware, but he inspired people, and White Harbour was a success. Courtnay met with Daemon closer to the end of the fighting, and the two marched towards Moat Cailin to capture the fort and secure a turning point for the southern Kingdom of Westeros. The fighting was hard, and the crannogmen were no easy foe, but Daemon, even in his capture of the fort, grew to be aware of their subterfuge, and stopped losing his men on hunting trips. The challenge came with Lord Bolton, as he marched on the fort with more men than Daemon knew he could handle. He kept his best half of his forces, sending the rest to meet with other armies in the south, and made one man look like a hundred as he defended Moat Cailin against Bolton’s forces. Daemon survived with only twenty men, and eventually, through a failed stealth mission, was captured at Seagard and held prisoner for the remainder of his war. Though one thing was for certain, that Lord Daemon Blackfyre had never felt more alive than he had in the Neck. Courtnay was knighted as Courtnay of the Fevers for his service to Lord Blackfyre, and because Daemon knew the man deserved it more than most knights he knew. The Champion of the Realm Daemon was released after negotiation from Bolton’s scarring dungeons, and though many prisoners cracked beneath the weight of solitude and pain, Daemon was no such prisoner - and thankfully he’d been a Lord, and had been in the company of the opposing King to calm the otherwise bloodthirsty tendencies Daemon knew that Lord Bolton possessed. He was named Champion of the Realm for his services, and finally started acting as Master of Laws in King’s Landing. He thought of his father, even despite the bad memories of his sister the man brought to his man, and how he knew perhaps that Rhaegar Blackfyre would be smiling on his son if he knew of his children, and of his accomplishments. That, oddly enough, helped him get through most of the days in the Red Keep. Thankfully he knew where the quiet spots in the castle were, as Orys loved to shout his opinions at people, and especially at his Small Council. The Gold Cloaks took getting used to, but eventually, he had them managed like a well oiled machine. They protected the people, they protected the nobles in the castle, and some of the men had fought with Daemon during the war, and so he had earned some of their respect. This made it easier to lead, as Daemon wasn’t used to the political intrigues of King’s Landing just yet. Fighting was his strength, and he knew Mace Tyrell, his best friend, would agree. Mace was in High Garden, so far away, but Daemon knew he could share a drink with the man at any moment and catch up on the times they’d missed together. It had been some time, anyway. His daughters lived with him in King’s Landing, and though Maegelle assimilated seamlessly, Maella had a tougher time. Fields and horses and archery ranges were gone, and they were replaced with gowns and hair brushes and whispering handmaidens. Daemon often found himself bringer Maella around when he was commanding the Gold Cloaks. He knew the girl liked seeing the men who protected her and her family, and Damon knew it made her think of home in a strange way. The war may have been over, but with so many things changed in his life in only the last three years, Daemon still felt the weight of responsibility he’d earned when he’d first wielded Blackfyre as his own. He was Lord of Summerhall, he was Master of Laws, and he was witness to Orys Baratheon, first of his name, being an absolutely childish King. Tensions were always present in Small Council meetings, and though he didn’t agree with most of the men that sat with him to advise the King, he knew they all shared common ground on Orys’ attitude, even perhaps the Prince and Princess themselves. Orys was a problem, and when Daemon was alone he could sometimes hear Mace Tyrell speaking to him, advising him. ‘What are you going to do about that problem?’ Quotes "Your idea of law is eschewed. I don't take enjoyment in saying this. Lord Lannister is imprisoned because of the violent actions he took against Lord Westerling. His position as Lord Paramount is irrelevant. He broke the law. The needs of the many must always outweigh the needs of the few, including two men in a single room, and the needs of the many are built in to the core of our Kingdom's laws. No Lord Paramount reserves the right to publicly mutilate their vassals. We are not at war." ''- Daemon to Ser Myles Lefford during a private meeting in 375, when questioned about Lord Aubrey Lannister's imprisonment. ''"Lord Swann, as an extended thanks for squiring my nephew Damion, send me the bill for the damages done to the King's table." - Daemon to Lord Armond Swann during a Small Council meeting in 375, shortly after King Orys I Baratheon destroyed a table in a rage. "We're getting your daughter back. The shadow of Renly Baratheon can keep his iron throne." - Daemon to Lord Mace Tyrell during a private meeting in 375, when he decides to resign from his position as Master of Laws.